Esperanza College was formed in 2000 through a partnership with Eastern University and Esperanza, Inc. to address the unmet educational needs of the Hispanic community. Esperanza College is located at 4261 North 5th Street in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier is its Academic Dean. She said, "The entire staff at Esperanza is humbled and yet happy for the recognition given our hard work towards excellence. We measure excellence by the transformative outcome in the lives of the students."

In its 2013 report, What Works for Latino Students in Higher Education, Excelencia profiles the finalists from all over the U.S. It cites several outcomes for Esperanza College as contributing to student success, including:

1. By graduation, 90% of the Spanish-language dominant students score 500 or above on the TOEFL exam with 10% scoring between 493 and 500.

A national, nonprofit organization, Excelencia in Education is building a network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to address the U.S. economy's need for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leadership.